JUST LIKE A CIRUS
by star of the BUNCH
Summary: welcome home, tachikawa mimi ! after her father receives a promotion, mimi's headed back to japan. everything seems to be going well, but everybody has a secret. who knows how this one will turn out. i'm new, so if rating is wrong, please let me know!
1. two types of people

* ( JUST LIKE A CIRCUS )

the life and times of

tachikawa mimi

**there's only two types of people in the world**

moving to america was something she never expected to happen, and mimi wasn't too happy about it at the time. she'd grown to love it there, though. the diverse people, the trendy little shops, the wide variety of foods. it was great! she fit in so well with her peers at her private school and already had a close-knit group of friends. although she did miss it back in odaiba, she was used to the idea of living in america by now. her summer had just ended, and it had been an amazing one. her friends always threw the greatest parties, and her parents were kind enough to give her no curfew and a loaded credit card. she didn't like to call herself spoiled, but, in actuality, she was. her favorite part of summer was trying her hand at modeling, in which her friend andrea's mother helped her land a job for the teen vogue magazine. mimi and andrea posed in some fabulous clothes from europe in an article describing how wonderful european designs were. it was really fun, but mimi was too young to decide if it was something she'd like to continue throughout her life.

with all that said, it was quite the bittersweet shock when her father told her they would be moving back to odaiba, japan, around the same area in which they used to live. mimi was never expecting this, and she thought it was almost a bigger shock than when she found out she'd be moving to america. she was already a month into school, and she never saw this coming. her father had gotten a promotion where he got to decide where he'd work. there was a spot open at the japanese branch of the business in which he used to be employed, and he took it forthwith. he and mimi's mother had missed japan terribly, as all of there family and lifelong friends resided there. so, although mimi was a little upset they didn't talk to her about this before making the decision, she was forgiving and accepted what had happened. they told her she'd have to leave within a week, so that she didn't miss too much school at odaiba high school, in which they had already enrolled her.

"princess, our condo in odaiba is not ready yet, but you really need to attend school before you miss too much," her father explained, telling her of how the situation would work out, "but your mother and i need to stay here until our house sells. the economy isn't that great, obviously, and we're having some troubles selling it. however, we've booked you a hotel room near to our condo and your school."

a little confused, mimi questioned, "wait, so you're letting me stay in the hotel by myself?"

"mimi, we trust you," he began, "plus, the hotel manager is one of my good friends from college. he said he'd keep a good eye on you."

mimi scrunched her face in disgust for a second, remembering this friend of her fathers. he was always so creepy and always told her she looked 'really nice.' misinterpreting her face of disgust, her father hurriedly added, "don't worry! i booked you the best suite in the place! so don't think you're getting some gross place or something."

laughing a bit, mimi smiled, "thanks, dad. i can't believe this is happening, everybody back home will be so excited!" well, she hoped, anyways. she really hoped they hadn't forgotten about her.

unbeknownst to her, there was one boy who would never forget about her back home.

• • • • • • • • • •

so, that was that, and mimi was on her way back to japan. her departure from her friends was quite sad, but they were all happy for her in the end, being able to return to the place in which she grew up. she was really nervous, in all honesty. she hadn't told anybody of her return, because she wanted it to be somewhat of a surprise. it didn't take her long to get settled down in her hotel room. it was quite glamorous, and mimi only giggled at her dad's consistency. he always got her the best things, even if she didn't ask. her parents loved her so much, and she knew it. it wasn't as if they only showed it through purchasing her the things she wanted and spoiling her, no. they told her and treated her as the most valuable thing in their life. she felt extremely lucky to have parents like her own. however, it was quite exciting living on her own for quite awhile. it would be quite interesting, to say the least.

• • • • • • • • • •

while mimi was busy unpacking, her old best friend, sora takenouchi busy doing something extremely different. it had started out as a boring saturday afternoon, so she decided to go to her long-time boyfriend's house; the house of taichi yagami. his parents weren't home, and she greeted him with an almost too passionate kiss. it last a few seconds, before tai pulled away.

"what's this about?" he questioned, grinning a little, "i'm just that irresistible, aren't i?"

sora rolled her eyes, her hands running over tai's well-built chest, "oh, please, like you haven't missed me. you had a soccer tournament for the past few days!"

"yeah, i know," tai began, "i was actually about to call you to see if we could go to lunch or something. i missed you a lot." most of that was a lie, but sora would never know.

"lunch?" she inquired, a sly smirk spreading across her face, "how about we just skip to dessert?"

smiling, tai chuckled a bit, lightly. pulling him closer, sora kissed him slowly as he began to slide his tongue into her mouth. tai was an amazing kisser, and sora loved it. it only took a few minutes for the two to end up in his bedroom. it took even less time for tai to begin unbuttoning her blouse.

• • • • • • • • • •

getting out of the shower, mimi was glad to feel clean after a long day of traveling. she was extremely tired, but she was too excited to see everybody. pulling out her sidekick, creating a new text message. "you really need to go to that little café we always used to hang out at," mimi began her text to sora, "i sent over a surprise from america that you definitely need to see!"

• • • • • • • • • •

sora's phone rang, indicating a new text. at the time, she was wrapped around her boyfriend, both of them clad in nothing more than their undergarments. the two had gone pretty far, but never all the way, yet. sora wanted to extremely bad, but she wanted it to be perfect. a hook up just because his parents were gone wasn't exactly her idea of perfect. it was pleasurable, without a doubt, but not how she wanted to be deflowered.

she ignored her phone at first, but upon realizing it was mimi's text tone, she pulled herself away from tai for a moment. "sorry, it's just i haven't been in touch with mimi for awhile." tai nodded, understanding. the two were best friends, and his thoughts drifted. he hadn't heard the name mimi for awhile. or seen her, for that matter.

"she says she sent me something amazing from america that i just have to see," sora laughed, knowing mimi's over excitement about certain things. closing her phone, she stood up, "we can continue this later?"

he smiled, "definitely." he never argued with sora when it came to mimi, it just wasn't his place. he didn't mind, the two were close and he knew they missed each other a ton.

• • • • • • • • • •

walking through the doors of the café, sora was just thinking about how strange it was for mimi to have something delivered here. she wondered why she wouldn't have just sent it to her house? however, after only a few seconds of being in the building, sora saw none other than mimi herself standing there, a wide grin across her face.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" sora exclaimed, rushing toward mimi, the two embracing tightly. "i didn't know you were coming to visit!"

laughing a bit, mimi exclaimed, "okay, okay! you're choking me sora!" the two laughed together, parting.

mimi looked a bit different to sora. she had grown a bit taller, her hair was now a pretty, dirty-blonde that reach past her shoulders, cascading down in a beautiful array of waves. her good taste in clothes hadn't changed, as mimi was wearing a cute little pink, casual mini-dress with a wonderful pair of silver sandals to match. a silver headband also held her bangs back, matching her sandals and clutch purse that she held in her hand.

"but, seriously, meems, why didn't you tell me you were coming?!" sora was pretty much freaking out. her best friend was here!

"i wanted it to be a surprise!" mimi giggled, "and the best part is.. well, i'm here to stay!"

sora's jaw dropped, and she practically jumped on mimi in excitement. pulling out her phone, she pretty much texted everybody the following: "mimi's back! and she's here to stay!"

• • • • • • • • • •

the two had spent the afternoon catching up, and everything was quite pleasant. they were both excited to be reunited, and mimi felt a ton better about going to school on monday. she had been worried, but now she knew that everything would work out, from what she could tell.

sora had soccer practice that night, though, so they sadly had to part ways. mimi ended up going back to her hotel room and ordering room service. the pasta she ordered was delectable, which was a huge relief for her. some hotel's room service could be really nasty.

getting herself ready for bed, mimi brushed her teeth and changed into a pair of her short volleyball shorts she received while on the team at her private school. pulling over her head a somewhat worn, grey "ODAIBA" hoodie, mimi threw her hair back into a messy ponytail that rested over her shoulders.

she had planned to watch a movie, as it was already around 11 at night and there wasn't much else to do. she would probably end up painting her nails, too. she had just bought a new pretty pink nailpolish! just as she was getting everything all set up, mimi heard a knock at her door. curious, she went to go open it. had she ordered something else from room service and forgotten?

swinging the door cautiously open, mimi found herself staring at the messy-haired, brown-eyed boy whom she knew almost too well. "tai?" she exclaimed.

without a word, tai pulled mimi close to his body, his warmth overwhelming her. wide-eyed, mimi began, "tai.. wha-" but before she could finish, his lips collided with her's, and he kissed ten times more passionate than any other time he had kissed sora.

• • • • • • • • • •

i haven't wrote a fanfiction in so long (: i'm excited to have started this one ! so, tell me what you think, and if i should keep this going. i love reviews ! 3


	2. putonashow kinda girl

* ( JUST LIKE A CIRCUS )

the life and times of

tachikawa mimi

**well baby, i'm a put-on-a-show kind of girl**

and she kissed him back. he pulled her small frame even closer to his body, her gentle hands resting on his chest motionless. he tasted exactly as she remembered, the passion, warmth, and eagerness. his hands moved up her back, making their way to her hair. he carefully pulled out her ponytail, never breaking his concentration while kissing her. her silky locks spilled out from the ponytail, tai's hands running through it as they kissed, pulling on it ever so slightly, ever so seductively. that's when a memory flashed into mimi's mind, one she had always kept hidden but could never forget about completely.

• • • • • • • • • •

just year ago, it was sora's mother's second wedding. mimi couldn't miss her best friend's mother's wedding. the wedding was beautiful, and the bride and groom's vows were honest and deep. everything past the wedding was a bit hazy to mimi, but there were some things she was sure of. one too many martinis. more than enough shots of vodka. a too-short reception party dress. tai's apparent drunkenness, mixed with a small high from his marijuana. sora telling the two to "step out and get some fresh air." the two of them finding their way to his car. listening to his new favorite album he just bought. her feet aching from walking around in heels. somehow ending up in the back seat. his wandering hands. her lack of desire to stop him. the softness of his lips. the taste of vodka on her breath. the smell of grass, rum, weed, and warmth. her giggles when he kisser her neck, his messy hair tickling under her chin. his strength. her want. he, sora's boyfriend of over a year. she, her best friend. the unzipping of her dress. the sloppily pulling down of his pants. the absence of her undergarments. her nails digging into his back. the pain, the pleasure. the heat, the longing. the loss of their virginity. the admittance of the words "i've always loved you."

• • • • • • • • • •

hot tears streamed down mimi's eyes, sobs overwhelming her. she didn't break from the kiss, but he did. confusion, worry, and fear took over his facial expression.

"mimi, what's wrong?" his hand ran through her hair once more, tucking her hair behind her ear. his chocolate-brown eyes staring intently at her.

she avoided his gaze. "tai, this can't happen." as much as it pained her to say it, she knew it was true.

grasping her shoulders and squeezing tenderly, tai pleaded, "things are different, you're back now!"

"things are not different!" mimi exclaimed, raising her voice a bit. she still couldn't look at him, "sora's my best friend, and you're her boyfriend. she loves you."

"but i love you," tai said, cupping her chin gently in his hand, turning her face so she would finally look at him in the eyes. "i love you and only you."

mimi stared back at him, longing overwhelming her emotions. her tears continued, she couldn't bare it any longer. she placed her hands firmly on his chest, pushing him into the hallway. he stopped dead, staring at her, trying to figure out what was going on.

she looked him in the eye, mascara running and face flushed, and all she could say was "i can't." whether it truly made sense or not, tai got the picture either way. the shock of pain was obvious as it surged through him, the wetness making its way to his eyes. shutting the door, mimi locked it and leaned against it, sliding down to the floor. face in her hands, mimi cried uncontrollably. even though she hadn't seen him, mimi couldn't stand the fact that she had made him cry.

• • • • • • • • • •

tai stood in the hallway, his tears never seeming to stop. he'd never cried over a girl like this before, and he couldn't handle it. he didn't want to move. there wasn't a reason for him to move. he thought things would be different now, that the emptiness within him would finally be filled once again. but he was wrong, things were exactly as before. and whether she wanted to or not, mimi couldn't love him, and that was enough to make him feel like nothing was worth it anymore.

• • • • • • • • • •

she knew coming back would be difficult in some ways, but she never knew that he'd remembered what happened last year on her last visit to odaiba. she knew he'd remember it, but it was obvious he hadn't stopped thinking about it. truthfully, she hadn't really either. however, the fact that they lived so apart proved to help mimi in her try to forget.

she was so used to heartbreak, boys who just wanted her for her body. she did have her fair share of hook ups, flings, and friends with benefits over her course of staying in america, but it wasn't as if she was specifically looking for something in them. she probably wanted to, yes, but the guys were more interested with the inside her mouth and her developing curves than anything else.

and even though they never dated, things were always different with tai. he was so unusual, different than other guys.

sitting up, she stopped crying. she couldn't think about this anymore. they would never be anything more than friends, that's all they could be. wiping her eyes on her sleeves, mimi stood up shakily. she walked to her room calmly, trying to force her thoughts into a box she could hide away forever.

she pulled off her sweatshirt and slid off her volleyball shorts, throwing them somewhere in her room, she didn't care. walking into her closet, she grabbed the first dress she saw: a black cocktail dress cut almost too low for any girl her age. she put it on, fluffing her hair a little. it hugged her curves amazingly, and it made her look five years older, at least. she reapplied her makeup and slipped on a pair of silver stilettos. looking at her reflection in the mirror, mimi saw a perfectly composed girl, one with no problems. but as she focussed on her eyes, she could see the pain and resentment withheld from the world, unable to be free.

she grabbed her clutch and prepared herself to leave. she couldn't stay there any longer, she just needed to forget. peering through the peephole to make sure he was no longer there, mimi saw that the coast was clear. she opened the door and walk out, locking up. her stilettos clicked against the floor as she made her way to the elevator.

tai hadn't left, though, he stood there around the corner, sitting on the ground, his back against the wall. he looked around the corner as he heard the clicking, watching her walk away. she did so literally, but, for him, it was metaphorically as well.

• • • • • • • • • •

mimi didn't feel like taking the time to hail a taxi. plus, she only had her credit card in her clutch, no loose cash or anything. so, walking down the street of odaiba, she was overwhelmed with emotion as the warm nightly breeze blew past her. finally, she found something she was looking for. it had only been a few blocks away.

looking up at the neon-lit sign, mimi entered the dirty martini bar. luckily, it was a bar that was opened considerably late, especially since it was already far into the night.

• • • • • • • • • •

yamato ishida, sweaty and hot, gripped the microphone as he hit every note perfectly in one of the songs he wrote for his band, the teenage wolves. his voice was melodic and soothing, yet, somehow, he still managed to make screaming sound good at some points in his songs as well.

over the past few months, his band had been getting a ton of local attention. they'd landed more than a few big gigs at various events throughout the city, and, at this point, the band was considering possibly going national after they graduated from high school.

tonight, the teenage wolves were playing at the dirty martini bar. the place was owned by takashi's father. takashi was in the band with matt, and he was the one who was "second in command." matt and takashi formed the band together, and they were extremely close.

the night was going extremely well, they sounded amazing. the people at the bar, though mostly inebriated, seemed to be enjoying them. matt lived for music, and pleasing his fans was definitely high on his priority list.

• • • • • • • • • •

at the bar, mimi already had lost track of how long she'd been there and how many drinks she had. the man didn't card her, which was something she was used to. she was tall, beautiful, and knew how to manipulate her look so she appeared older. it wasn't anything new for her. her life was full of problems, and this was how she dealt with it.

mimi tilted her head side to side to the music played by some band on a stage on the other side of the building. they had said something about ending the show, but the crowd asked for an encore. however, the current song ended, and that seemed to be it. it didn't bother her much, she just ordered another martini.

• • • • • • • • • •

as the teenage wolves left the stage, they were giddy. takashi, extremely proud of his drumming, gloated, "man, we rocked tonight! i'm totally gonna get laid tonight! did you see all the hott girls out there?"

akira groaned, takashi was always the one who had sex on his mind. "dude, there's no one younger than like, twenty-four out there, not gonna lie."

matt laughed, shaking his head. "whatever you do, takashi, just use protection. you don't want another pregnancy scare like last time. with that girl from our sister school or whatever, remember?"

"damn, that sucked," takashi reminisced, "whatever, though, i'm just going to get shitfaced and find a hottie to spend the night with. i'm out!"

takashi left the stage, heading out to the floor. matt turned to akira and yutaka, "alright, i'm going to change. unlike takashi, i don't think the whole wet, sweaty clothes really does it for me."

• • • • • • • • • •

she could barely understand what was going on around her. the bartender wouldn't let her have any more drinks, fearing she'd already had way too much. there was so much going on around her, that mimi was having a hard time focussing.

just then, she got a tap on the shoulder. a sweaty guy sporting a ripped muscle shirt and a tattoo on his bicep stuck his hand out to her. taking it woozily, mimi shook it. he laughed a bit and said, "well, hey gorgeous, the name's takashi."

she nodded her head a bit, looking him over. he had black hair that was messy, much like tai's. it was a bit straighter, though, and he brushed his bangs to the side a bit. "the name's is mimi," she let out, her speech slurred a bit.

takashi obviously saw this as an opportunity to get what he wanted. this girl was smokin' hott ( in his words ), and he wasn't about to let her get away from him without a little reward for putting on an amazing performance. "so, how'd you think we did tonight up there?" he motioned toward the stage, grinning in a way he thought was sexy.

mimi reached forward, placing her hand on his shoulder, patting it, "you did amazingggg." her words were drawn out more than she would've wanted, but takashi didn't care.

"let's get out of here," he said, as he had gotten even more into the "mood" as the gentle warmness of her fingers came in contact with his skin. taking her by the hand, takashi led her to the storage room.

• • • • • • • • • •

matt had just came out onto the floor, all cleaned up. he was sure he saw a few of his friends from school here, and he was trying to pick them out of the small crowd that remained in the bar. his eyes met akira's first, though, and he headed over toward him.

glancing around, matt looked for takashi, realizing he wasn't there. "so, look's like takashi got what he wanted, huh?" he grinned, knowing his friend almost too well.

"or he's about to, anyways," akira began, "he seriously just took the most beautiful girl into the back room. you need to see her. dude, i barely have any respect for takashi, but i'm real jealous of him right now."

matt chuckled lightly, takashi always seemed to get the hott girls, no matter how much of a sleaze he was. "alright, maybe i'll take a peak. just a quick one."

akira nodded, and matt made his way to the back room, wanting to see the so-called "most beautiful girl."

• • • • • • • • • •

before the door closed, takashi already had his tongue practically down mimi's throat. she wasn't even sure what was going on, so she wrapped her arms around his neck as he not-so-shamefully felt every inch of her body with his wandering hands. he backed her up to a counter in the room, lifting her up and letting her sit on it. she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer, his lips leaving hers and traveling down her neck. she moaned without control, and he started to hike up her dress a bit, preparing to get what he wanted and what she didn't want to let him have.

• • • • • • • • • •

matt slowly opened the door, looking through the crack he created. he couldn't see anything, so he opened the door wider, slowly walking in the room. he saw the girl, her killer legs wrapped around takashi, his hair flowing over her shoulders. he couldn't make out her face, but he had seen enough. he'd take akira's word for it.

as he was about to leave, matt heard the girl say something. pausing, he listened in.

"n-no, stop.. stop!" mimi said, out of breath and delirious. the alcohol was finally setting in fully, and she knew being with this guy she didn't even know was nothing she wanted.

"shh, baby, i'll take you for a ride you'll never forget," takashi said smuggly, kissing her forcefully. she tried pushing him away, making noises of clear disapproval while his tongue continued to wrestle hers. at this point, it wasn't like her tongue was putting up much of a fight.

the next thing she knew, the guy that was all over her, groping her, slid away. confused, mimi tried to figure out what happened.

matt had pulled takashi off the poor girl, hearing her desperate requests for him to stop. he had nothing against random hook ups, but having sex with a girl who clearly didn't want it was out of the question.

"what the hell are you thinking!?" matt practically screamed, throwing a punch at takashi, hitting him square in the jaw. "are you fucking stupid?"

takashi was clearly scared and he left without a word. it wouldn't be the last he heard of this little incident, but he didn't want to hear it all now. matt shook his head in disgust, sickened by the immorality of his so-called right-hand man.

turning back to the girl, matt made his way over to help her. she was lying on the counter now, she looked close to passing out. matt could smell the alcohol emitting from her skin from where he stood and went to go sit her up. he knew that people could die from lying the wrong way when drunk, and he wasn't about to let a death occur on his part.

he lifted her up, looking into her face, out of curiosity. with shock, he realized he knew her. it was mimi. her eyes blinked slowly, looking at him. her face scrunched confusedly, as she weakly questioned, "..matt?"

since when was mimi in japan? she hadn't visited in so long, and he was sure he would have heard of one of her visits or something. none of that mattered, though. it was up to him to make sure mimi would be okay. "yeah, it's me."

"d-do you hate me?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

smiling slightly, matt explained, "no, mimi, i could never hate you."

"okaygooood," mimi said, closing her eyes and leaning on him, "i am so happy you came to get me..." her words drifted off as sleep took over her body, and matt picked her up into his arms. carrying her out the back and to his car.

as he buckled her in next to her, he looked at her. she was still the same, pretty mimi he remembered. she did things, but she didn't mean to. she had problems, she obviously didn't know how to deal with them. leaning forward, he kissed her forehead, smiling to himself.

• • • • • • • • • •

reviews = love ! i'd love to hear what you have to say. your opinions mean a lot to me, and i'd love to improve my writing with your suggestions. (:

sidenotes:

• i write in all lowercase, i know that. i'm sorry if that bothers you, but that's just the style i chose to go with for this story.

• for all purposes, mimi's in her junior year, so all of those a year old than her are seniors, and those her age are in her grade. that's probably obvious, but i just wanted to make everything clear.


	3. don't like the back seat

* ( JUST LIKE A CIRCUS )

the life and times of

tachikawa mimi

**don't like the back seat, gotta be first**

sunday morning. a day mimi knew all too well. typically spent waking up somewhere she didn't recall ever going to, searching for her purse and all of its contents, sometimes trying to find different articles of her clothing that seemed to be missing, and trying to remember what exactly all happened the night before. oh, and not to mention trying to get rid of the pounding headache that usually came as a reminder of the night before.

this sunday morning in particular was not too different than those of her past. mimi woke up in a large, king-sized bed that she knew was definitely not hers. sitting up, mimi recognized nothing around her. the room was dark, dirty, and clearly belonged to someone who lacked organization in their life. well, it wasn't as if mimi was one to judge. swinging her legs over the side of the bed and placing her feet onto the cold ground, mimi looked toward the night stand. in all honesty, confusion was consuming the young blonde. she knew she went out last night, but everything that happened was somewhat a blur to her. obviously alcohol was involved, and she was already regretting that aspect of her evening.

she realized that not only was she not in her own room, but that she wasn't even wearing her own clothes! she was dressed in simply an overly-large black t-shirt and her undergarments. as she was beginning to freak out as to what exactly was going on, mimi reached for the wallet that was sitting on the night stand. opening it up, she wasn't too careful. a huge stack of money fell to the floor, and mimi scrambled to pick it up quickly. she began flipping through the bills, counting how much was there, as it was a pretty fat stack that dropped to the ground making a sound louder than she expected. the money added up to over a thousand dollars. _who keeps this much money in their wallet...?_ she thought, somewhat surprised. as she looked through the different pockets of the wallet, she finally found an driver's license. "...matt?" she whispered, all of the memories from last night flooding back into her mind, making everything just a little bit clearer.

* * *

sora was stuck with the early shift at her mother's flower shop; indeed, there was nothing more that she hated more than the early shift. it started at five in the morning and went until two in the afternoon. of course she got paid well, but the hours seemed a bit like overkill to the short-haired brunette. after she was done checking inventory, sora was stuck sitting at the checkout counter by herself. obviously no one was going to be shopping for flowers this early. _honestly...? _she thought to herself, annoyed with her whole situation. and on top of it all, she had not been able to contact tai since the night before. the last thing she heard from him was that his mother was setting the dinner table, so he had to go eat.

tai was usually good with keeping in touch with her, but he hadn't for awhile. it was already ten in the morning. she knew he usually got up at around eight or nine.. so why hadn't she heard from him yet? she had a weird feeling in her stomach, but she didn't exactly know why. hoping that she was simply being paranoid, sora sent him a text message saying "rise and shine sleepy head! miss you." closing her phone and leaning on the counter, she hoped that her day would soon get better. sadly, this was probably not going to be the case.

* * *

much like mimi, tai spent his night treating himself with his own kind of self-medication. having a window in his room definitely came in handy - especially when he needed to get high. well, of course he didn't need too, but more often than not, he definitely wanted to. he always found it funny how people made jokes about soccer players smoking quite a bit of pot, as he wondered if they really knew how true it really was. it was only ten in the morning, and tai had already started smoking. as if what he out into his body wasn't enough last night, tai just kept smoking. his phone buzzed next to him, and he looked at it hopefully, anxious to see if mimi had changed her mind and decided to be with him. opening his phone, he saw a text from sora and sighed. inhaling a deep breath of smoke, tai held it in for awhile and exhaled, closing his phone.

* * *

kind of embarrassed, mimi left the confines of matt's bedroom. not only did she have to deal with the memories of last night, she had to face the guy who pretty much rescued her in a t-shirt that barely covered the bottom of her butt. she figured it was what she deserved, though. she acted like an idiot last night. going to a bar by herself close to the middle of the night? _seriously, what was i thinking... _

she started remembering matt's house more clearly, now that she figured out where she was. the hallway that led to his living room was familiar - pictures of matt, tk, and his father all over the wall. this time she walked down it, though, it seemed like it took forever. as she finally reached the living room, she realized they changed it around a bit. she was now standing behind matt and tk as they sat on their couch playing, and yelling at, some video game that seemed quite violent.

"hahahah! this is the fourth time i've beat you today matt - are you losing your so-called skill?!" tk exclaimed, unable to control his laughter.

matt, clearly angry at losing, punched tk in the arm, not too hard, and said, "just shut up, i'll show you who's boss."

mimi felt weird interrupting, and she didn't really know how to do so. trying to be friendly and seem like she was in a good mood, she giggled a bit and swatted at matt's shoulder saying, "matt, how many times have i told you not to hit your little brother?"

both the boys were definitely surprised that mimi was up already, and matt stood up awkwardly almost immediately as mimi started talking. she gave him a confused look, as she didn't really know why he felt the need to stand up. "mimi, you're up!" he exclaimed, walking to the other side of the couch. tk gave her a quick "hey meems!" and was back to his video game before she knew it.

giving matt a sheepish smile, mimi grabbed his hand and led him into the kitchen where they could talk more freely. she didn't want tk hearing more than he needed to about her exploits the night before. matt, surprised by mimi's confidence in grabbing his hand, smiled a bit, his cheeks feeling a bit warmer. in all honesty, matt wasn't the type to get crushes on girls, but mimi always seemed to grab his attention in a special way. mimi knew this, too, but she was sure matt was unaware of her knowledge of his feelings for her. that's why she realized it was probably a mistake grabbing his hand - she didn't want to lead him on. realizing this all could turn awkward really fast, mimi decided that maybe she should refrain from staying too long.

it wasn't that she didn't like matt - she actually had quite the crush on him back in the day, and she wasn't positive that it fully went away yet. however, given all of the recent circumstances that have been surrounding her, mimi didn't know if it would be best to jump into something so quickly. maybe her mind would change once she wasn't hungover, but this made sense to her now. as the entered the kitchen and she turned around to face him she saw how nicely he had matured since she'd seen him last. his blonde hair was still spiky - and somewhat out of control - as usual, and he had a little bit of sexy stumble growing down the edge of his jaw line. and had he been working out? his arms looked really good as they rested crossed against his chest in his shirt that he clearly cut the sleeves off of. was she really checking matt out?

"do i have something on my shirt?" matt asked confusedly, looking down at himself. noticing mimi starting to blush, he smirked a little. "oh, are you admiring my guns?" he stuck one arm up and flexed, laughing a bit, indicating that he wasn't really trying to be cocky, but just joking around to try and lighten the mood.

but seriously, as mimi saw him flex, her mind went blank. she was a sucker for a muscular guy, and matt's body seemed perfect. she shook her head a bit trying to clear her thoughts - she definitely loved boy watching and picking out which guys she could see herself being with, but she couldn't be doing this right now. everything was already messed up enough with tai, and she needed to deal with that before anything new happened.

"they are pretty impressive," mimi admitted, smiling a bit, "but i was kinda just zoning out... i'm actually not feeling too well." that was a lie - she was feeling better than she normally did the morning after a night of drinking. she just couldn't stay any longer, otherwise something would definitely happen between the two. the two had always had an emotional attraction toward each other, but now that they were older, more mature, and more.. developed, for a lack of better words, the two definitely had a physical attraction to one another too now. "i wanted to say thank you, though, for last night.. i'm pretty sure something was about to happen that i didn't want to."

matt looked at her with his deep blue eyes, pausing for a minute before saying anything. he smiled though, glad to hear that having sex with someone she didn't know wasn't on mimi's list of things to do. he moved in closer, pulling the petite blonde in for a tight hug. mimi didn't wanna be rude and turn him down... and she kind of was glad he hugged her. his warmth was comforting, and it felt right.

and that scared mimi. she had so many secrets, so many problems that not everybody knew. and being committed to someone meant sharing those secrets, and she knew some people wouldn't be able to accept her for some of the things she's done in her past. the fact that matt might be one of those people frightened her. just then, he whispered in her ear, "you know i'll always be there for you, meems."

she pulled away a bit, looking into his eyes. matt seemed so perfect. he did the right thing last night - he even punched his friend just to protect her. he let her sleep in his own bed. he did everything right, and she couldn't help but feel safe in his arms. he smiled at her and began moving his face closer to hers. she wanted him to kiss her - she wanted to kiss him back. but she couldn't, not now. just as his lips were less than a second away from closing the gap between the space between the two, mimi pulled away.

she honestly felt bad. she could already see the sadness in matt's eyes of being rejected, and she hated that. nothing was making sense at the moment, and she honestly just needed time to think. she didn't think it was right for her to be with matt right now - but why did she want it so bad and feel like it was the right thing? her mind was spinning in circles, and she just needed to go home and lock herself in her room to think. "i'm sorry," she said sincerely.

she saw her purse on the table and took it without looking for her dress or anything else. slipping into her heels which were at the front door, mimi swiftly left the ishida residence confused and feeling more lost than ever. walking down the sidewalk she probably looked like a hooker in nothing but that t-shirt, but she honestly didn't care. she'd only been back home for a day, and she was already starting to mess things up for those closest to her. _what the hell is wrong with me! _ she thought, hot tears beginning to stream down her face.

to make things worse, mimi was going to have to face everybody tomorrow. of course it would be the first day back to school. it was just her luck.

* * *

sora was sitting at home reading a book, which is what she always did when she was irritated. tai had still not gotten back to her all day, and she had no idea why he was ignoring her when she did nothing wrong. this always bugged her, and she hated being treated badly. though she overreacted more often than not, she still didn't like to look like a fool. that's when she heard a knock on her window. smiling, she knew that it was tai. that's how he'd been sneaking into her room for over a year, and it worked so well.

no matter how mad at tai she currently was, she couldn't help but smile that he came so unexpectedly. she loved surprises, and, although he wasn't off the hook, was excited to see her boyfriend after not talking to him all day. as she opened the window to let him in, tai looked really stressed out. giving him a hug, sora noticed his lack of interest in hugging her back.

"umm... okay? what's your deal?" her anger was starting to flare up again, and she didn't understand why he was being such a jerk to her.

"you might want to sit down" tai explained, without emotion, as if everything had been drained from him, "there's something i need to tell you."

* * *

chapter three is up ! haha, it's really been awhile, and i doubt anybody is still looking for updates in this story. not too much happened, i know, but i promise you it's going to get more exciting (: the whole mimi and matt scene in the kitchen might kind of seem confusing - but it's supposed to be. it's supposed to show how mimi doesn't know exactly what she wants, and her hangover's not helping her thought process any. anyways, i hope you guys enjoy this chapter ! reviews are love.


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